Dreams and demons
by huntress007
Summary: What if the books were based on reality...sort of. A story of Mixing magicks.
1. Default Chapter

I do not own any sweep characters, and I hope all sweep fans will forgive me, for what I am about to do. Please, read and review!  
This is a collaboration of ideas of a different type of reality from that which the characters exist.   
  
Title: Dreams and Demons  
  
Chapter one: THE DREAMER WAKES  
Tuyen, Georgia, United States  
Faye closed the book with a smile. The series was over. The books had indeed come Full Circle, and had brought her a measure of joy for a while. There were things she disagreed with, of course. Magick was not as flashy, as the books had made it, and they were a lot more dark things out there than they mentioned. Unfortunately, there were many dangerous things that humans knew nothing about, like shape shifters, vampires, and demons that sometimes walked in human form. Faye sighed, This was her reality, and sometimes she hated it.  
She was now 24, but had been 14, when she had found out about her abilities to fight the dark. She was one of the few that kept the world thinking that things that go bump in the night, were myths and legends. Not things that could kill you. Things not real and unseen. As she pondered her groups latest problem, an area that could be linked to a time slip (those were not fun) she wished she could call up a Council, and summon help, but that was just wishful thinking. That was the stuff that didn't exist. Her phone ringing, jolted her to the present, she answered on the 3rd ring,   
"Hello?"  
  
  
'Uh, hi, uh, Faye, if we trapped a demon in a mirror, then uh, what should we do next?"  
"Well, Arthur, cover the mirror, so it doesnÕt get back out, then break it, and bury the mirror and the cloth, and forget about it."  
There was a pause on the line and Faye Heard the distinct sound of glass breaking. Arthur came back on, "Hey, Thanks Faye, catch yaÕ later!" She mumbled a good-bye and hung up The phone. Her mother had been having trouble sleeping. So she needed to go fix her some herbal tea. This was her life. Demons and teas.  
~~~Sailsbury, England~~~  
As Hunter walked down the hall, he saw his supervisor coming and dreaded the lecture he knew was about to receive. Thomas Mornikim was a very imposing man, at best, and at this moment he was pissed. He didnÕt even say hello, but launched into Hunter like the prize debater he used to be. "What in the name of the goddess were you thinking, Niall?"  
  
"Well, you see, sir.."  
  
"I don't care, Niall, you could of jeopardized this whole operation!"  
  
"But sir.."  
  
"Just be quite, you little ... and Morgan wants to see you. She and Cal are pissed."  
  
"Bloody hell"  
  
"And that is not all, you want to be a seeker so badly-well here's your chance. I guess they're rewarding the screw-ups. Report to Kennett, and he has a few words for you too, you'll get your assignment then, and Niall,"  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Stay out of my way."   
  
Hunter gulped "Yes, sir."  
Ben Thortan had heard Tom's tirade on the young man and had wisely waited until he was farther down the hall to speak with him, "Thomas, Hello, old chap." Toms face was still drawn, but he spoke to Ben, "Evening, old friend, I guess you heard that?" Ben smiled and said   
"And anyone else on the grounds. You know, it was a foolish mistake, but a mistake, never the less." Tom looked tired. " It is just, he gave up so many secrets, and The council is just now regaining its footing. We decided to make him a seeker, like he wanted, not as a reward, but a chance to see what its really like out there. He'll learn you donÕt always get the girl, and there is no happy ever after." Ben nodded, "So, where are you sending the lad?"  
  
Tom smiled dreamily "Somewhere far away from me... I mean there is a location in The States, in Georgia we need some more info on. Shouldn't be that difficult, not even he can bugger this one up." Ben shook his head and smiled, "Remember my friend, you can make it foolproof, but you can't make it damn fool proof." Thomas, looked around took a flask of gin from his coat pocket, and downed a swig, whispering a silent prayer to the goddess "please, don't let him mess this up, please."  
48 hours later somewhere over the Atlantic.......  
He was walking though a forest behind a group of people. Looking up he saw the stars and faint moonlight filtering though the pine trees. The scent of nettles and moist earth made him aware that someone just ahead had found something of extreme importance. Then in front of the others that he seamed to be with there arose a shadowy mist rising like fog from the earth below . There a fissure that oozed a yellow orange substance that looked like lava..... The hair on his arms stood on end; he broke into a run, fear griping him like a old friend. "It's your turn now Seeker!"   
Hunter woke over Georgia.  
  
" Thank you for Flying the friendly skies we will be arriving at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport in thirty minutes." The air was circulating poorly and the turbulence didnÕt make him any more comfortable, the dream was more than disturbing. Something was hauntingly familiar about the voice the woods in the dream. Though he had never been to Georgia before. Unease, fear these were not the outstanding qualities that a seeker was supposed to display. Including the cold sweat.   
"Sir, can I get anything for you some water perhaps?", the stewardess looked abnormally concerned about him.  
"Yes, please, thank you." A couple of minutes later she brought him a small eight ounce bottle of water and a styro foam cup. An announcement came over the speakers, "Ladies and gentleman please fasten your seat belts and make sure that you seats are in their upright positions. We will begin our descent into Atlanta in ten minutes." Was the nightmare ending or just beginning?  
  
Somewhere on the southside of Atlanta.....  
  
Faye woke irritated and blind. The clock on her bookcase read 7:15, could she have slept though the entire day? She tried to get up and stepped on her ashtray. "Damnit, Damnit to hell!" She tried to reach for her glasses and toppled over a small dragon figurine, that hit a coke can spilling onto the floor, onto a pile of clothes. This was not going to be a good day. Finally finding her glasses she made her way down the narrow hall the to bathroom. She remembered the night before in the woods outside town. Creepy, yeah but nothing that she couldn't handle with a little help from the Lady of course. There seemed to be another presence in the woods something strangely familiar, and yet she knew that it was not one that she had not encountered before. Walking into the kitchen she looked around something was horribly wrong. It was still light. It was 7:20 A.M.. There was lots of day left to be had.  
  
  
She was totally awake not tired, knowing that she had only gotten a couple of hours sleep. She was also totally irritated, and angry. What is going on? Mentally she called to her familiar a dark blue dragon small enough to be confused with a large cat, just not as fuzzy. "Chandra, what is the deal?"   
  
"Deal, you know the deal, you brought the deal."   
  
"Brought the deal? What is the Deal?"  
  
  
"The deal where the prince comes to save you from your fate. He isn't a real prince, just as close as could be found on such short notice." The dragon coyly tilted its delicate head and scratched behind it's horns.   
  
"Find out the Princes name will you?" Faye was getting irritated with the creature.   
  
"You already know his name and I can't tell you anyway."   
Dragons for all their knowledge and strengths can also be a pain with their riddles and evasiveness.  
"Can't you just tell me what is going on?", Faye was getting perterbed. Chandra merely raised a scaly eyebrow at her. "Please Chandra"   
  
"I couldn't do that, it is much to fun seeing how you figure things out". In that way that some dragons have,she poofed away like dust.   
Dragons.  
A/N: Strange dreams and chicks with dragons What confrontations await Hunter?  
I hope you want to know what happens next-i promise..it gets better!Please, read and review! 


	2. Dirt and stone

I don't own and all that jazz...lets get some intro's going...and on with the show  
  
chapter two:  
  
Dirt and Stone  
  
The day had been too long. Most days went fast, this one went slow and dragged on and on. Time seamed to stand still and there seamed no end in sight for the mounds of documents to be filed. When the clock struck five, she was ready for it, her bags packed, and left without saying good-bye to anyone. The drive home was sometimes tedious and on more than one occasion she slammed on her brakes to avoid hitting some dumb bastard. Before she hit the expressway her cellular rang, shocking her with the tune of Ode to Joy.  
  
  
  
"Yeah?", few people had her cell number unless it was an emergency. "Hey, where are you?" The womans voice said. "About to head home why?" Robin was getting irritated, all she really wanted to do was go home and get in some snuggle time with her spastic cats. "Meet me at the Spiral Heart, we'll talk about it then." Carry was older and had some bizarre connections in the Pagan community, at least what there was of it. "Allright but this had better be good." Carry replied "Oh it will be." The familiar click told robin that the call had ended and she barely had enough time to change lanes, and headed further away from home than she already was.  
  
The Spiral Heart.......  
  
Hunter sat at a booth with yet another member of the council. Driving in the city was like being a rat caught in a maze. One way here, wrong way there, turn only. No right turn on red!?! He shuddered and took another sip of water, he wasn't going to drink the vial sodas that everyone called Cokes here, or that awful concoction Southerners called sweet tea. More shuddering. Carry sat there watching him amused, but not impressed, the council hadn't needed to tell her that he had screwd up bad. Her teenaged daughter, Laura, had come home with book after book of Sweep, a series on Wicca of all things. Some of the names were way too familiar and the terms of the history that was within. Carry knew that his assignment was his punishment. She was just there to introduce him to his contact.   
  
Robin walked through the door and took a look around, finding Carry sitting with a handsome young blonde guy, which was difficult to fathom. After all Carry didn't like guys that much. Luckily it was the light that made him look like a man, he was still very young, and had this sad look about him. "Hey , what's going on?" Carry smiled at Robin and knew that she had made the right discission about setting this meeting up. Robin would give the boy what he needed, a cold hard look at reality outside of the council.  
  
"Hello. Robin, this is Hunter, he has come all the way from England to.....do some investigative research." Unaware that Robin had read the books too, it was a shock to Carry and Hunter when the woman laughed. "You have got to be kidding right?" The look was serious and the laughter left her eyes as quickly as it had escaped her lips moments before.  
  
  
  
"Is your name really Hunter?" He nodded. "Nail?", he nodded again. Robin sat down with a few silent moments looking at him before a waitress took her order for a coke. She looked at the boy again wondering how her girlfriend Faye would react to THE Hunter Nail showing up on her doorstep. Hunter also watched Robin. She was unlike the blood witches that he had meet before there was something different about her the way she watched him. Her eyes seaming to go out of focus for a few moments before coming back in a rush. She shook it off.   
  
"Well this is interesting." Carry hadn't been one to intrude but this was important to the council and important to all the other Naturales that had found the craft.   
  
"Yeah it is. Does this mean that the International Council of Witches is real as well?" Robin directed her question at Hunter. He recoiled as if he was a dog to familiar with punishment.   
  
"Robin, he has an assignment here and needs our help. Your help actually, since you know the people he is going to be investigating."  
  
"You have got to be kidding."Robin replied. Hunter looked at Robin again, he didn't like this at all, this woman obviously had some power a little tarnished perhaps. What clan was she he thought. Her copper hair and those strange eyes like the Mediterranean.   
  
"Maybe you should tell me what this is all about." Robin watched him and knew before he said that he was investigating Onyx. This was going to be a bumpy night.  
  
A dirt road-somewhere  
  
"By the powers of hill and mound, thus I set the circles bounds. By three times three, thus shall it be. Hail and welcome."   
  
Onyx gathered three or more nights a week, seldom were rituals ever used, they seemed stuffy and it didn't help their own powers. It isn't like the energy would ever stay focused. Only a couple of people picked up a book on witchcraft and the others were mostly just bored out of their wits. Faye watched as two figures walked up the hill to the place where Onyx stood. The short round one could only be Robin, dressed in black from head to foot, her silver pentacle glowing in the starlight. The moon had yet to rise. But the night sky was clear and promising of a nice hunt.  
  
Another figure walked with Robin. Definitely taller and most certainly thinner. A man, that familiarity from the night before made her shiver with anticipation. As they drew closer Faye could only be aware of one thing, that the man before her was the presence the night- before in the forest, that he had come- this was the prince that Chandra told her about. He looked so familiar. "Hail and welcome" Robin greeted Faye and the rest of Onyx. "Smib Baby" Everyone echoed "Smib".  
  
Hunter looked at Faye and Robin with such a questioning look that Robin shook her head, tossing her hair back she said. "You know Smib, So Mote it be!?! Goddess help us all!"  
  
"Gooo Goddess" one young man said in the darkness. "  
  
"Isis! Isis! Ra! Ra! Ra!", a coy slip of a girl said.   
  
Faye pulled Robin away for a moment. "Who is this guy? I thought that you were coming alone?"  
  
"Yeah well I had an unexpected house guest."  
  
Faye stammered, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Just then one of the other girls shrieked in terror. Turning they saw a creature loping towards them out of the woods crashing through the dead branches. Something like arms thrashed wildly about. "Much adieu about nothing?" Robin questioned. Faye trotted over to the beast, hairy and frothing at the mouth. "What have I told you? You do this on your own time and not with the group. Now pull yourself together. Now Keebler!" Faye reached out her hand and griped his forehead in her palm, the beast was the thing that screamed now, falling to its knees, slowly changing back into a handsome slender young boy. A small discoloration appeared on the youths brow when Faye released him. It was in the shape of a star. "A pentacle is best used in the hand when there is a werewolf romping around."  
  
A few people giggled, the shrieking girl knelt down beside Kebbler. Stroking his hair and speaking softly to him.   
  
"I would like to introduce all of you to a friend of mine." Robin addressed the group, "this is Hunter Nail, he is visiting from England so try to make him feel less like the limy bastard that he is." Faye's eyes opened wider and wider she seamed to lose her strength and crumpled to the ground in a heap. Luckily Rick was there to catch her, or at least ease her fall by getting in her way.   
  
"Another one bites the dust." Irena, one of those girls who was too beautiful to be hanging with anyone, said generally disgusted.  
  
Hunter watched everyone taking things in. He cast his senses out and felt something different from each of the people that were standing around. The woman on the ground had a considerable amount of power she wasn't really unconscious either. His mind was searching for something from her and then he heard her thoughts in panic and yet excitement. "Oh my Goddess, he is real ,is he real, yes, that is him ,oh my God, oh my goddess, he has come for me, what am I going to do".....She wasn't really sending him a witch message and he wasn't sure if he should reply with one of his own so he didn't.  
  
The slender boy that had emerged from the woods as a werewolf was kneeling trying to rise, the girl whose name was Ally, helped him to his feet. Keebler as they called him had the most interesting aura Hunter had ever seen, it looked like green and yellow flames encircling him. From his forehead there radiated bright bursting pastel bubbles. These Hunter associated with pain. No mention of werewolfs ever existing was recorded in the training that he had received in the ICoW. The others who had spoken before, Rick who was now trying to help Faye get up, and the snippy girl Irena, both had some energy about them. The energy from these two was not as substantial as the one who had fallen, but with proper training they could be competent in the arts. Hunter glanced around again and extended his senses into the woods nearby, he could feel the pulse of life in the woods, both animal and plant, but felt no thought patterns that he could understand. Communication with nature was still beyond his ability, but he did know how to detect other persons in the area. And had enough common sense to wonder what the hell was going on around this place.   
  
A/N: HANG ON FOLKS, THIS RIDE IS GONNA GET BUMPY-R&R! 


	3. Backgrounds

Don't own-please review-  
  
Chapter three:backgrounds  
  
Journal entry of Faye  
  
Last night onyx met at the crossroads. Robin brought someone with her. It was Hunter Nail! I can only imagine what he is doing here. I have go to see him again, but I am afraid. I have no idea how much of the books are true. The things that I have done, that Robin has done, could get us both hurt and what about the others? Not that they are really anything dangerous at all.....still. What am I bothering about. I am going to get this guy, wrap him around my finger and then we will see who wears the Braigh around here.  
  
Later that night.  
  
"You have got to be kidding? Why should I tell you about what I am investigating, and who says that I am investigating anything?" Hunter was more than flustered that the red headed bitch Robin was going to accuse him of being some kind of Wiccan spy out to get everyone burned at the stake.  
  
"Look you limy bastard, Faye and I both know about the Council, we know about you, and what it is that you do and what you are capable of. So why don't you just fess up to it so we can get on with our lives, cos I am not gong to be a part of this Investigation that you doing. I showed you all there is to see here".  
  
  
  
"What are you talking about?" Oh goddess don't tell me that they have read all of the books ,heard about them one thing; read them another.Hunter prayed silently.   
  
"Faye and I have read all of the books, Hunter Nail". Robin spit his name out like it was a curse. He was never going to live this down he was going to have to change his name or something.   
  
"Look I never thought that it would go this far, she seamed like a nice woman and I needed to get so much off of my chest and she understood..." Hunter sat down at the kitchen table and hung his head. This was going to be a part of his punishment  
  
.  
  
"She understood, a story that could make some money, and not for you, my dear boy." Robin smoothed his hair down. She had a little sympathy for him. " It is hard to learn who to trust and who not to trust, Hunter. Things with people aren't the same as it is with us". He looked up at her. Robin had the distinctive aura of a blood witch, on a scale of one to ten he would give her a six, if she practiced. he estimated that her power level could go as high as eight. She turned away from him and put a steel kettle on to boil.  
  
"Why did you read the books ?" he fiddled with the lazy Susan in the middle of the table watching the duck headed salt and pepper shakers and napkins go round. He realized that he was tired and calm. She must do something to the house. One of her cats jumped into the chair next to him and meowed at him.   
  
"Faye gave them to me a couple at a time until I had read them all. I think that she wanted someone to talk to about them. Faye has a tendency to get obsessed with something and go after it like, well like a pit bull. She gets hold of something shakes the life out of it or she gets bored and moves on".   
  
The woman set a cup of steaming brew in front of him he hadn't noticed what she put in it. She sat down and petted the cat that had said hello to him but it was still in the chair and then it was gone. "Robin?"  
  
"Yeah Hunter?" She sipped her tea.  
  
"Do you have two calico cats?" He could have sworn that....  
  
"No, Just Buffy here, and Willow the black one. Why did you see another Calico?" She looked at him a little hopeful, a little flattered.  
  
" I thought that Buffy was sitting in this chair," Hunter pointed to the chair on his right. " Then you petted her and she was there and the other cat was still in the chair?" Robin smiled and took a deep breath, then she laughed. "What is so funny?" Hunter was starting to feel very sleepy, and the thought that someone was laughing at him was to much for him to bear.  
  
"I'm not laughing at you silly man. Come with me and bring your tea." Hunter followed her into the living room there above the fireplace as a small brass urn with picture frames of her holding a calico cat and another with the cat alone. "You saw Piewhachet, she was my familiar before I got Willow or Buffy. Shes the reason that I have either of them. I didn't know if she would come with me when I moved into this house, if you saw her then she came her too. Thank you for telling me."   
  
"Your familiar? I have heard about ghosts, but a cat ghost?" Hunter had read stories about familiars and how they were bound to their masters, but this was different tales he heard where old wives tales in comparison.  
  
"Yeah, I was there when she was born and I was there when Buffy was born too, I freaked when Buffy came out I thought Pie had reincarnated. But I don't think that she will any time soon not if she can still be seen".   
  
"So you can"t see her?"   
  
"Sometimes but its only out of the corner of my eye sometimes I think that it is Buffy like you did and Buffy is locked up in a room or asleep somewhere. I see her the most in dreams she is still with me in a way."  
  
"Why did you stop practicing?" Hunter was just starting to put things together.  
  
"When I lost Pie I lost a part of myself too. She was like a daughter to me, I wasn't a good mother to her I could've done better by her. I blame myself and the craft for a lot of that."  
  
"Is that why you don't practice any more?" Hunter was examining her aura again. Robin had taken down the urn and held it close like it was alive. There did appear to be some energy coming from the vessel itself that blended with her aura.   
  
"I only practice now when it is needed. Power should not be abused, the gods don't like being toyed with and neither do the elements. The world is much more interesting when you don't have control ,than when you think that you do have it." She placed the urn back onto the mantel. "I'm going to turn in for the night, Hunter. Tomorrow we will talk some more."  
  
The next day  
  
The phone began ringing.  
  
"Hey Faye", Robin could tell who it was just by the tone the ringer took.  
  
"Hey! How do you do that?" Faye was sometimes amazed at how accurate Robin could be, practising or not, she could be impressive.  
  
"A good witch never tells, that and Caller ID helps". Psych, "What's up?". Here it comes-thought Robin, "can I come over, is Hunter there?"   
  
"Well I wanted to see what you were doing tonight, I thought that we could get together? Am I being to obvious?"  
  
"You know that you are acting as conspicuous as you looked climbing over the cemetery fence when we got locked in that time." Robin liked being the one to rub in disgraceful memories too sometimes. Just then Hunter walked into the room and raised an eyebrow at her. Robin laughed she wasn't sure what he would make out of what she said, but he would be on his toes today for sure.  
  
"Is he still there? Did he hear you say that? Oh my Gods how could you do that to me! I guess you warned him too." Robin could be a real bitch sometimes meddling in her affairs. if she ruined this forher she was going to......   
  
"Do you have a problem Faye? Yes, he is here, you want to talk to him? I didn't think that you would. Look ,Faye, he and I are going to be here all day getting ready for things tonight. be here by 3 this afternoon bring some thing for circle here tonight. just a couple of other people will be here. Don't forget to bring your friends phone numbers along and addresses. Hunter will need to interview each of them in his own time over the next few days. Cool?"   
  
"You are serious aren't you? What has he said about this? why is he here?Does he suspect anything?" Why do I bother, she doesn't know anything yet-Robin thought.  
  
"No he hasn't ,but I know what I would want to know, if I had been sent on a mission and I imagine that the people that Don't help him won't be to high on the totem pole."   
  
" Yeah got it, see you then."   
  
"Okay I'll be sure to tell Hunter that you said Hello!" Robin snickered,she didn't know which one she was going to have more fun with-Huner or Faye!  
  
A/n: please review-big crocodile tears-please! 


End file.
